Mobbed Younus leaves midway through local match

Mobbed by frenzied fans, former Pakistan captain Younus Khan left the field midway through a local Twenty20 match.

Reported by Press Trust of India

Read Time: 2 mins

Karachi:

Mobbed by frenzied fans, former Pakistan captain Younus Khan left the field midway through a local Twenty20 match here and reportedly lost his cool after an admirer trying to get too close to him.

The incident forced Younus to leave the ground midway through the match although he was captaining one of the teams, Malir Gymkhana against Al-Noor Gymkhana in the lucrative Karachi Champions League at the newly renovated Korangi stadium here.

Although news channel 'Geo' reported that Younus had beaten one of the spectators in the dressing room before leaving the ground, chief organiser of the tournament Rashid Latif said nothing of this sort happened.

But Latif confirmed that Younus was mobbed by fans twice during the match.

"In the fifth over, Younus had to cope with some over-enthusiastic spectators who came onto the ground to get his autographs," Latif said.

"He was then called inside the circle to avoid being close to the crowd but after he obliged a young boy who came onto the field to get his autograph, other people also rushed in and tried to get close to him," Latif said.

Latif said, as a result, the security personnel and the organisers decided to escort Younus to the dressing room.

"But as he was coming out of the ground a young man who came running to shake his hands stumbled and fell close to him causing Younus to lose his balance and also fall on him and some people from the crowd also jumped in causing confusion and problems," Latif said.

He admitted that Younus had taken the young man into the dressing room with him but denied that the senior batsman hit him.

"No, that is not correct because I was there in the dressing room and we cooled down Younus immediately and told him it is better he went home," Latif said.

But the television channel reported that Younus pushed around the young man as he was upset at being mobbed by the crowd.

Latif said the match resumed after Younus went home. Latif is the chief organiser of the Karachi Champions League which carries a winners purse of Rs 10 million and Rs five million for the runner-up team. It is the largest prize money event in Pakistan's domestic history.